One of the BCI guidelines for selling covered call and cash-secured put options is that we require a bid-ask spread of $0.30 or less and/or an open interest of 100 contracts or more. Typically, options with large open interest will also be associated with smaller spreads. This makes it easier to close short positions at […]
Exit Strategy Selectivity: Can We Implement Too Many Exit Strategies?
Covered call writers, historically, have ignored exit strategies as part of their investment approach. Certainly, not in the BCI community but most everywhere else. As we become aware of the major financial benefits of mastering the position management skill, we must be mindful of the possibility of over-management. Eating a slice of pizza is enjoyable, eating a […]
Implied Volatility And Our Premium Exchange-Traded Funds (ETF) Report
Our study of option trading basics and stock option strategies involves an analysis of implied volatility. This is the market’s forecast of the underlying security’s volatility as implied by the option’s price in the market place. Frequently, the mid-point of the bid-ask spread, called the mark, is used. In this article, I am highlighting a […]
“Negotiating” The Best Prices When Buying And Selling Options
Our covered call writing strategy involves both buying and selling options. Mastering our options trade executions can bring our profit level to even higher levels. We know that a general rule is that we buy at the “bid” (the lower figure) and sell at the “ask” (the higher figure). The difference between the “bid” and […]
What Is Slippage And How Does It Impact Our Trading Success?
When studying investment basics, the term slippage has two applications. In general, it means having a trade executed at a price less favorable to the trader. Let’s look at the two areas where we may see this term used: An order is executed at a worse-than-expected price Stock and options Slippage occurs when there is […]
Playing the Bid-Ask Spread When Selling Covered Call Options
An integral aspect of our options trade executions is to sell at the “bid” and buy at the “ask”. Many times we can “negotiate” the bid to a higher price or the ask to a lower price. Would you like to earn $50 in 50 seconds? Why not learn how to play the bid-ask spread? […]
Penny Pilot Program
Do you get frustrated when something doesn’t make sense? Me too. Here’s an example: You’re viewing an options chain of a great-performing stock in a great-performing industry and you note that the premiums are trading in $.05 increments. This is important information to have when playing the bid-ask spread. Then you check the same options […]
Podcast
- 104. Special 1 Time Dividends and Contract Adjustments
- 103. The Collar Strategy Using Long-Term Put Expirations
- 102. Analyzing Market Assessment Based on Portfolio Setup
- 101. Covered Call Writing: "Hitting a Double" on the Last day of a Contract
- 100. Analyzing LEAPS for The Poor Man's Covered call Strategy (PMCC)
- 99. Anatomy of a Reverse Stock Split
- 98. Analyzing LEAPS Options for the Poor Man's Covered Call
- 97. Managing Our Poor Man's Covered Call Trades When Share Price Drops Substantially
- 96. Protecting Our Covered Call Trades: Protective Puts and In-the-Money Strikes
- 95. Covered Call Writing to Generate Premium and Dividend Income
Recent Comments